The Inspiration

My husband's Parkinson's story began on a Saturday morning in 2011 while reading the Kingston Whig Standard. We each had a section of our local newspaper, and I became distracted by a rattling of paper coming from where he sat across the room. Lounging with his legs up on the sofa, I noticed the newspaper shaking in his hands that rested on his hips. As I took in what was happening, I realized that his leg was tremoring and was the source of an uncontrollable repetitive movement. I placed the obituaries on my lap and asked him what was going on with his leg. He looked over at me and told me that he didn't know, but it had been shaking for several days off and on and that he would have it checked. I didn't say it out loud but my immediate thought was that it presented as Parkinson's."

He hadn't felt well for over a year—extreme exhaustion, muscle cramps, leg stiffness, loss of smell—with no medical answers. As a result, he had retired a week earlier at the age of 59. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease soon after, and 15 years later during one of my daily morning visits at the nursing home where he now resides, he shared that he believed his legacy changed forever that day and he wondered, "Is this how my three-year-old grandson is going to remember me, sitting disabled in a chair?"

I immediately reassured him that, although his physical disability was part of his legacy, I would make sure that Hendrik, named after his grandfather, would know 'who' his Opa was, including  his passions, his purpose, and how he made decisions and lived his life guided by his values and deeply-held beliefs. I reiterated that his grandson would remember him as a kind, genuine, compassionate, and generous person through the stories we would share about him.  Hank looked at me and smiled. 

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​The conversation we had that day inspired ​

The Legacy Project​​​​​

With Gratitude, Diana